However, despite this foresight, there seems to be mixed signals from the administration about whether or not the deal will actually come to fruition. Initially, Trump's Press Secretary Sean Spicer indicated on Tuesday that the Trump administration would proceed with the deal and begin vetting refugees, saying "The president, in accordance with that deal, to honor what had been agreed upon by the United States government … will go forward." And at a Thursday press briefing, Turnbull refused to comment on the conversation's details but reassured the public that relations between Australia and the United States are in good shape.

However, on Wednesday evening President Trump tweeted that the deal was "dumb" and that he planned to "study" it, casting serious doubt as to whether the deal will actually be implemented.

I believe that, if the deal fails to proceed, it could have massive implications, both for the refugees themselves and the international community. For the former, the refugees would of course sadly be missing out on relocating to begin a new life in the United States after years of detention.

As far as the international community, if Trump proceeds and does not implement an already agreed-upon deal with a very strong ally, it could set a dangerous precedent for how countries interact with and support each other (or refuse to do so) in the future. It would serve the Trump administration well to weigh this decision very carefully and strongly consider adhering to the original agreement.